Avalanche boss 'understands' Xbox One disappointment

But thinks Microsoft's lack of focus on games is fan's biggest bugbear, rather than the console itself.

Avalanche Studios' founder Christofer Sundberg has told VideoGamer.com that he believes the negative reaction to Microsoft's Xbox One stems from the "lack of focus on games... rather than in the console," and hopes that Microsoft will be able to "turn that around during E3.

"I understand the disappointment of many fans," Sundberg told us while discussing the reaction to Xbox One in the days following the console's reveal, "but I am confident their disappointment is in the lack of focus on games during the reveal, rather than in the console. I hope that Microsoft will turn that around during E3.

"I personally understand the focus on TV and cross-media entertainment at the reveal," he continued. "If Microsoft had presented the Xbox One as the 'ultimate gaming console' they’d [have] quickly lost the attention from mainstream media."

Sundberg says that Avalanche, which created the Just Cause series, has been "working with the Xbox One for quite some time," and the company is impressed by its capabilities.

"Our impressions from first sight until the recent public reveal have been positive," he says. "It's an impressive piece of hardware, and powerful hardware will obviously help our games look fantastic."

Microsoft faced harsh criticism from fans following the reveal of Xbox One last week, largely owing to the platform holder's focus on TV functionality and the ongoing confusion surrounding its policies on pre-owned software support and online requirements.

But once those issues have been clarified, the real battle between Sony and Microsoft "can finally kick off", Sundberg says.

"Once [Microsoft has] cleared any remaining question marks around touchy subjects like always-on and second-hand sales, they are able to focus on the games and the real console war can finally kick off."

Avalanche Studios is currently preparing for its "biggest" E3 since 2005, where it's rumoured to be revealing a next-gen Just Cause title and a game set in the Mad Max universe.

The studio's chief technical officer also believes that, despite the difference in raw power, the results offered by Xbox One and PS4 will be "very similar in the end".

3 Comments

User Comments

"But thinks Microsoft's lack of focus on games is fan's biggest bugbear, rather than the console itself."

No, it's the complete and utter focus on rich white American DudeBro males heavily into sports and TV that's this "fan's" biggest bugbear. Way to piss off your audience, guys.

This from a guy who thinks the Xbox 360 was the greatest console ever made. Oh how the mighty fall so easily.

Posted 21:51 on 06 December 2013

DancingRhino

No it's not. We know good games will come. People are disappointed they've effectively decimated half their market, people's ability to buy and play as many games as they could before, if all reports are true.

I think a focus on games would have saved them a small amount of backlash on the DRM/Always-on fiasco. At least if there was a lot of focus on games people could play it off against the other issues. Whereas at the moment all the cynics, rightly or wrongly, assume MS is pretty much eschewing games for paid media services.